


Behind The Mask

by Pyr0



Category: Mass Effect
Genre: Moral Dilemmas, Multi, N7, Rescue Mission, Short Story, Team Dynamics
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-06-13
Updated: 2015-06-19
Packaged: 2018-04-04 04:50:11
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 2,860
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4126023
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pyr0/pseuds/Pyr0
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>On their final mission to earn their place in the N7 program, a team of four very different soldiers find themselves risking everything in the hope of finding survivors. </p>
<p>As everything falls apart around them they find themselves stuck in an impossible situation, with an even more impossible question. </p>
<p>What do you do when "the enemy" saves your life?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Final Mission

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by a Multiplayer Gold Cerberus match.  
> Any and all constructive comments would be greatly appreciated :)

The ship’s thrusters fired, bringing it down gently onto the decrepit dock. The thick red dust of the atmosphere fell in swathes from its side as the airlock cracked open.  
“Here we are, team, our final combat zone.”  
Four figures jumped down and spread out quickly and efficiently. The first landed heavily in his thick armour, sighting down his big Mattock and scanning his surroundings. He was the man that had spoken.

There was a whoosh, as the second member fired up her biotics and floated gently to the ground. The third figure landed lightly, drawing her monomolecular blade with a flourish. She immediately called up her omnitool and began analyzing their surroundings.

The fourth team member dropped down and stumbled slightly, landing awkwardly in his heavy armor. He glanced sideways at his companions, and seemed relieved when no one commented.  
The destroyer kept scanning. “Okay, objective?” he said.  
The biotic activated her omni-tool too, and read out loud. “One Cerberus base, supposed to be deserted. An Alliance team went down over…” she outstretched a hand and pointed north, “there. They’re sending a distress signal but we have total radio silence. Assume the worst.”

“Yeah, yeah. We got it.” The swordswoman gave a dismissive wave and leap effortlessly onto a rocky outcrop.

“Hm." She bounced slightly on her slender legs. "Low gravity.”

The first woman deactivated her omni-tool with an annoyed wave.

“Oh really?" She cocked her head to the side. "You know I didn’t see that in the briefing. Did you Silas? Or anyone else who, I don’t know… read the report? No? Well that's strange."

The infiltrator whipped around to face her, but their reply was interrupted as the last figure stepped between the two women.

“Okay guys," he said, hands out placatingly. "How about we start walking? You know, towards the downed ship, with people probably injured or...” He trailed off meaningfully, looking each of them in turn. His turian helmet turned from side to side.

“A quick arrival might be a good idea."

The two women glared at each other.

  
Cicero Silas sighed. He had a good team, but they were tense. The cabin fever effect of being stuck in a ship together for months was surfacing, like some kind of horrible monster that turned everyone it touched into a copy of itself. They became snappish and twitchy. The horrible effects were making by-the-book Anice more and more frustrated with impatient, reckless Xatica. They baited each other, like circling varren. He felt that -continued like this - it wouldn’t be long before someone leapt.

It wouldn’t be just yet, though. He knew his team and as soon they had a purpose, they would put everything else aside, for the duration of the task anyway.

He relaxed as Anice's hands unclenched, and she looked down at the ground. When her eyes rose to meet his, he could see just how tired she was. He made a note to ask if she was okay later. She sighed.

“Yeah, you’re right, Cero. Sorry.”

"It's good,” he said, and jerked his head north. “Let's go find us some survivors."

Xatica just huffed and walked away.


	2. Chapter 2

After a few minutes of uneventful walk, the terrain began to change. Small shrubs sprouted from the dry rock, dotted across the landscape. Ahead, the ground dropped away into a crevasse, and they approached the edge. As the interior slowly came into view, Cero noted the drastic change in flora.

The canyon walls were covered in plants, rustling in the breeze that flowed through it. Above the lip the air was still and stifling, but below the air rushed like a windpipe. It was breathtaking.

Ten feet away, a river rushed across the canyon floor, the thunder of its descent roaring up from below. It twisted and turned amongst massive boulders. Squatting in their midst like a brooding beast, was the sharp outline of the base. A hundred meters away from it, the shuttle sat huddled between two waterfalls, looking tiny from where he crouched. The four stood in silence as they looked down at the light glinting off water, hundreds of meters below. After a few awed seconds they began their careful descent.

Even with belaying equipment, the climb down was painfully slow. The rocks were slippery, wet from the river’s spray that rose like mist. Cicero's heart jarred in his chest when his foot slipped once, only a harness between him and a fatal fall. When they finally reached the bottom they were each covered in water and Cicero was thankful for his armor’s seals. He looked over at Xatica. Her envirosuit was not as robust as any of the others’ armor and he worried about the sharp plants on the cliff face. To his surprise, the quarian seemed to be quivering. His faceplates drew together in a turian frown.

Anice looked over in surprise as Cicero sat down on a rock. He looked up at her and his eyes flickered to the right.

“Hey," he said. "I just need a break. This armor is really draining to walk in, let alone climb. Why don’t you and Titus check the shuttle for any signs of where they might have gone?”

She nodded, understanding and led the larger man away.

Xatica sat down next to him wordlessly.

“Suit okay?” he asked.

She nodded. There was a hiss as Cicero took off his helmet. He leant back and flexed his mandibles, enjoying the feeling of unfiltered air. He turned his bright, green eyes to her, scanning the faint outline of her features. Turian senses were exceptional. What were glowing patches to most other species resolved themselves into distinguishable - if slightly blurry - features.

"So what isn't?” he asked, lowering his voice and watching Anice pick her way over the boulders around the shuttle.

For a while Xatica didn’t answer, mask turned towards the looming shape of the base. Eventually - and to his surprise, as he'd begun to suspect that he would get no answer - she replied in a voice barely louder than a whisper.

“I can't..." she paused and tried again, the words tumbling out. "I don't like heights."

His eyes widened in understanding. “Oh." He blinked. "I see.”

She turned on him, temper flaring like a defensive sheild. “Don’t you dare say anything to them. Don’t you dare!” She hissed, casting a glance towards their team.

“Especially not to _her_.” She frowned. "It doesn't even matter. Forget it, okay?"

He nodded, not knowing what to say, half suspecting that the best thing would be nothing at all. Before he could have anyway, she stood up and stalked away. His subvocals hummed with weary concern before he sighed and followed.


	3. Chapter 3

Anice had found nothing at the shuttle, but Titus had pointed out footprints in the mud stretching away towards the base. Anice smiled up at the big, simple soldier. While she had been searching for landing records or messages left, he’d just looked at the mud. Sometimes you needed a direct point of view to realise how much you distracted yourself with little things, looking for “clues”.

They stood looking up at the big doors of the base, built into the top of one of the huge boulders. It was a few feet above the mark that - to their horror - showed how far the water sometimes rose. It was several meters from its current swirling surface.

The building itself was dark and old. They’d all secretly hoped they wouldn’t need to go in. Each of them had heard rumors about the horrific things that other soldiers had found in Cerberus facilities, and stories of awful experiments. Their only consolation was that there was no sign of a struggle yet. Each member felt a tiny fragment of hope spark, that maybe the lack of communication could be something as trivial as a broken device.

Xatica decloaked next to Cicero, making him jump nearly a foot in heavy turian armor.

Anice giggled. “Jumpy?” She laughed.

The turian rolled his eyes, subvocals humming in distress.

“Come on,” he huffed, activating the door. It hissed open on a dull, empty corridor and he strolled inside, trying to mask his glowing embarrassment.  
They wandered down the corridors, checking empty room after empty room. As they walked something began to nag at the back of his mind, tugging on his cerebrum in an attempt to get his attention.

They wandered the full length of the obviously empty area and eventually came to stairs leading upward on the far wall. He watched as Xatica leant down and examined something on the ground.

“Mud,” she explained looking up.

He squatted down next to her and stared at the smear. She continued to look at him.

“You know? From outside?” she stated and blinked slowly at him.

He frowned.

“Yeah, I got that,” he said. “I was thinking…” he trailed off.

Anice crouched next to them.

 “Thinking what?” she asked.

He stood up suddenly, and began scanning his surroundings intently.

“What is it?” She asked, spooked.

He looked at her. “Anice," he asked. "When did we get the distress call?”

“Three days ago," she said, "why?”

“And how long would you say that shuttle was empty?”

“A couple of days at least, it had animal droppings in it.”

He nodded. “Then why,” he said, “is the only mud in here still wet?”

The human’s eyes widened behind her visor, and her mouth formed a silent ‘oh’.

Titus’ big brow furrowed. “I don’t understand.”

Xatica sighed. “It means,” she explained, “that it was planted.”

Understanding dawned.

“Someone wants us to go up that staircase,” he surmised.

“Yup. You nailed it.”

“So we won’t, right?.”

The others exchanged awkward looks.

Eventually Anice answered. “Yeah… well, no. That’s where it gets tricky.”

“See, there could actually be people up there,” Cicero said.

“Hurt,” Xatica pointed out.

“Or worse,” added Anice.

“Oh." The big man shifted and looked at his team in growing horror. “So we are going up.”

They nodded as one.

“Oh," he said, and seemed to think for a while before adding, "shit.”

"Yup! Social responsibility sucks,” quipped Xatica.

Cicero elbowed her. She shrugged, while Titus stared nervously upwards.


	4. Chapter 4

The four crept up the stairs, scanning every corner. Xatica went on ahead, her tactical cloak giving her an advantage to scout ahead and do a tactical scan of the area. Cicero took point, then Anice with Titus at the rear.

The second level area was very similar to the first, although darker and slightly more cramped. The building creaked ominously. Crates were crowded against the wall, making the space seem even darker.

The team advanced methodically, shining their lights into every corner and up into the beamed roof. As he swept his around towards a crate, Cicero caught a shimmer in the air.

The light refracted off a tactical cloak and the feminine figure beneath. He smiled at his cloaked teammate and was about to turn away, when a second figure stepped out from behind the crate, not two meters from the first.

It was Xatica.

He reacted, barely thinking. Instinct kicked in, bringing his hands up to his omnitool and firing a homing missile. It seemed to float through the air towards the shape advancing - too fast - on his surprised friend.

The missile impacted, shattering the cloak with a hiss and damaging the barriers of the shape below. Cerberus armour was revealed, covering the lithe form of a Phantom. It stumbled back into the crate, and Xatica leapt backwards in horror.

The Phantom recovered extraordinarily fast, rolling back to its feet and scampering into the open space of the room.

Anice squeaked in surprise as the phantom flipped into her view and instinctually pulled the trigger of her Hurricane, until the heat sink fused. The bullets ripped through the armor at such close range and the flip turned into a boneless tumble.

The three stared down in horror at the smoking corpse. There was a clatter and they all spun around as Titus ran towards them. He gestured behind him.

"There's a bomb!" He yelled. "It's in the-" He stopped short, mouth opening in shock as the second Phantom decloaked right in front of him.

He looked down at the sword thrust right through his armoured chest, and slowly back up at his friends.

His eyes, suddenly distant and full of surprise, rolled back into his head.  
Anice screamed and detonated an annihilation field, the fiery blast rippling around her and hurling the phantom away into a wall.

She sprinted towards Titus' falling body, tears running down her face, but Cicero knew his friend was already dead. He had to focus on keeping the rest alive. Xatica fired a sticky grenade that attached itself onto the rising Phantom's back. The explosion spattered thankfully unidentifiable substances against his armor.  

Cicero frantically pulled up Xatica's area scan, trying to identify something in the scrolling data that would indicate an explosive device. Figure after figure danced past, and he found what he was looking for after something that felt like eternity. His eyes widened as a picture formed in his mind. He felt himself freeze, muscles locking in terror and an involuntary exclamation escaped his lips.

"Oh no," he whispered.

Xatica's head whipped up. "What?" She demanded.

He found himself barely able to speak, mandibles quivering. He finally managed to rasp out a single phrase but that alone turned Anice as white as an albino varren. 

"There's more than one..."


	5. Chapter 5

They sprinted towards the stairway, desperately scanning for any sign of tactical cloaks. Cicero caught a shimmer in the air in the entrance and with horror, two more to the left.

He rolled sideways, firing off several shots to break the cloaks. The three soldiers backed away, Cicero aiming a sabotage at the closest target. Xatica followed this with a sticky grenade, grinning mirthlessly as it activated a tech burst.

The electrical explosion ripped through the target and he saw it damage the shields of the other two approaching shapes. Anice fired a dark channel, enveloping one shape while Xatica emptied her pistol's clip into the other.

The first explosion ripped through the floor on the far side of the room, jolting the entire building sideways.

The team staggered but continued fighting, knowing that their only hope was to get down and away.

The last phantom, plagued by the pulsing dark channel, sprinted towards Cicero.

He fired off a homing grenade just as the second blast rocked the building. He and Xatica gasped as they heard the crack of the building supports.

The entire structure began to shift, stairway end dipping and far wall beginning to crumble. As huge chunks toppled down into rapids far below, he saw the corpse of a dead phantom ripped apart by the torrent.

His heart dropped into his stomach as Anice slipped on the titling floor and began to slide backwards. Xatica managed to grab her, other hand latching onto a crate. They clung to the side desperately as debris clattered past.

Cicero struggled to keep his footing on the shifting floor. A broken beam spun past him, mere centimeters from a decapitating blow. He leapt for the wall as a second one spun past, but was yanked away as the floor buckled.

The entire back section of the floor fell away under him.

He flung himself sideways and his fingers just grazed the remaining ledge of solid metal. His breath caught as his second hand met the hard surface and he swung, the force of catching his weight nearly dislocating his shoulder.

As his dangling body swung back and forth he made the mistake of looking down. Every muscle locked when he saw how far it was to jagged rocks and churning water below. 

To his further horror he saw a flashing light almost directly below him. The final bomb's red light was visibly speeding up, and he desperately tried to pull himself up. His armor was too heavy.

Xatica began to edge towards him but a single crack spilt open across the ledge. Cicero yelped in panic as it shifted.

"Go back!" He yelled. "There's nothing you can do!"

His voice was barely audible over the screeching of rebar tearing. She shook her head vehemently.

"I won't leave you!"

His subvocals converged into a growl of fear and frustration.

"No! Don't be stupid Xat - this isn't a damn vid. Find Anice and go!"

The quarian opened her mouth, but then it snapped shut. She nodded, turned and ran.

Cicero sighed and looked down at the little evil device far below. _Maybe he could drop down, and... No. It was at least 10 meters onto either solid rock or violent rapids. It would kill him for sure. Or maybe he would survive for just long enough._

_Even if he broke his legs, there was still a chance that he could disarm the bomb before he passed out. He could still help his friends. And he had nothing else to lose._

He shifted his rapidly numbing grip in an attempt to angle himself over the spot.

Cicero took a deep, shaking breath and prepared to let go.

And then he saw the phantom.

**Author's Note:**

> Please take a minute to just let me know what you think!  
> Good or bad, what you liked or didn't, it means a lot to me when you leave constructive critism for me to build on :)  
> Thanks, l hope you like it so far!  
> \- Pyr0


End file.
